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. 2020 Sep 30;18(Suppl 1):12.
doi: 10.1186/s12963-020-00205-4.

The burden of low back pain in Brazil: estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study

Caroline Nespolo de David  1   2 , Lucas de Melo Castro Deligne  3 , Rodolfo Souza da Silva  1   4 , Deborah Carvalho Malta  5 , Bruce B Duncan  1   2 , Valéria Maria de Azeredo Passos  3 , Ewerton Cousin  6
Affiliations

The burden of low back pain in Brazil: estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study

Caroline Nespolo de David et al. Popul Health Metr. .

Abstract

Background: The prevalence and burden of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are growing around the world, and low back pain (LBP) is the most significant of the five defined MSK disorders in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. LBP has been the leading cause of non-fatal health loss for the last three decades. The objective of this study is to describe the current status and trends of the burden due to LBP in Brazil based on information drawn from the GBD 2017 study.

Methods: We estimated prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) for LBP by Brazilian federative units, sex, age group, and age-standardized between 1990 and 2017 and conducted a decomposition analysis of changes in age- and sex-specific YLD rates attributable to total population growth and population ageing for the purpose of understanding the drivers of changes in LBP YLDs rates in Brazil. Furthermore, we analyzed the changes in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rankings for this disease over the period.

Results: The results show high prevalence and burden of LBP in Brazil. LBP prevalence increased 26.83% (95% UI 23.08 to 30.41) from 1990 to 2017. This MSK condition represents the most important cause of YLDs in Brazil, where the increase in burden is mainly related to increase in population size and ageing. The LBP age-standardized YLDs rate are similar among Brazilian federative units. LBP ranks in the top three causes of DALYs in Brazil, even though it does not contribute to mortality.

Conclusions: Findings from this study show LBP to be the most important cause of YLDs and the 3rd leading cause of DALYs in Brazil. The Brazilian population is ageing, and the country has been experiencing a rapid epidemiological transition, which generates an increasing number of people who need chronic care. In this scenario, more attention should be paid to the burden of non-fatal health conditions.

Keywords: Burden of disease; Disability-adjusted life years; Low back pain; Prevalence; Years lived with disability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Brazilian low back pain prevalence rate from 1990 to 2017 for all ages by sex
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Low back pain YLDs rates per 100,000 by sex in Brazil, 2017. a Age-standardized YLDs per 100,000. b YLDS per 100,00 by age groups
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Decomposition analysis of LBP YLDs (thousands) change from 1990 to 2017
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
DALYs rank rate per 100,000 (both sexes and all ages) in Brazil, 1990–2007–2017. COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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